Correlates of Psychological Distress among Secondary School Teachers

Among 574 Western Australian secondary teachers the level of psychological distress was found to be twice that expected in the general population. Eight school‐related factors were found to be statistically related to stress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire, with relationships being stronger for female than for male teachers. Factors correlated with psychological distress were: perceived lack of efficacy/achievement, inadequate access to facilities, lack of collegial support, excessive societal expectations, lack of influence/autonomy, student misbehaviour and lack of praise/recognition. Differences between male and female teachers in both the pattern and the strength of the relationships suggest that teachers' responses to their working environment are sex‐related.